Ultimatum review

Scream Magazine reviews Into The Pit in their December issue. They gave it 4/6, and that is from one of the most "diffucult" reviewers!! I'll translate the thing for you later.

Sounds good! ...right when you mentioned the "difficult" thing, it reminds me of how hilariously laughable some reviewers/metalheads are. They are so narrow-minded, especially when it comes to albums like the Black Album, the "loads" and stuff like that. Without even listening to it proporly, they bash it all they can, and use it as excuse to belt out as many insulting jokes as humanly possible, just to try and come off as funny *COUGH* King God-Space *COUGH*. Ahh, heck. Looking forward, if it is in Norwegian, send it! me understand

Cool. So it's a halfway decent review?

I would say it's a good review, but he felt a little nice giving it a 4. A 3 out of 6 would be more like him. Still, a 4 it got!

Did they mention the artwork?

Rexorcist wrote:

Did they mention the artwork?

sorry, no.

Ugh! Dying to know what they said. Can you just give me some of the basic positives and negatives?

ult

Scream Magazine, 4/6, reviewed by Leif Kringen

"Dette er den fjerde fullengderen til Ultimatum, men vi må helt tilbake til 2001 for å finne forgjengeren. Amerikanerne fremfører kraftfull thrash metal med et markant heavy metal-element, noe som blant annet kommer til utløp i en versjon av Iron Maidens "Wratchild". Litt skjematisk kan bandet kanskje beskrives som en blanding av Exodus, Overkill og Metal Church. Ingen dårlig attest det, men Ultimatum er selvsagt ikke i nærheten av nivået disse aktørene holder på sitt beste. Likevel er det en hel del å glede seg over her. Vokalist Scott Waters bjeffer og snerrer seg pågående gjennom skiva, og tilfører litt snert til et album som nok er kledd i en lyddrakt som, til tross for (eller kanskje på grunn av) at den er kraftfull, fremstår som en smule for klinisk. Låtmaterialet er jevnt over bra, kanskje med en ekstra pluss til "Deathwish" og den herlig banale "Heart Of Metal", hvor bandet klart får utløp for de nevnte heavy metal-tendensene. På plussiden nevnes også en del riktig så fine soloer. Jeg føler meg litt snill som gir en firer, men luker en bort de mest midtempoorienterte stakattopregede riffpartiene og får til en noe skitnere produksjon neste gang, kan dette virkelig bli noe."

"This is the 4th full-length album from Ultimatum, but we have to go as far back as to 2001 to find its predecessor. The Americans present powerful thrash metal with a marked heavy metal element, something that for example comes across in a version of Iron Maiden's "Wratchild". A general outline would maybe be to describe them as a mix/blens of Exodus, Overkill and Metal Church. Not a bad testimonial, but Ultimatum are of course not even close to the level any of these acts are on when they are at their best. Still there is plenty to be happy about here. Vocalist Scott Waters barks and sneers aggressively throughout the album, and adds some pizzaz (sp?) to an album that might be clad in a sound that, despite (or maybe becasue of) being powerful, comes across as a little too clinical. The songs are evely good throughout, maybe with an extra plus to "Deathwish" and the delightfuly cheesy "Heart Of Metal", where the band clearly gets an outlet for the mentioned heavy metal tendencies. Another plus is also given to some great guitar solos. I do feel a little nice to give the album a 4, but if they can weed out some of the more midtempo-oriented staccato-like riffs, and creates a "dirtier" production the next time, they a definitly on to something."

A pretty word-forword tranlation, so the English might not be good. But you get the idea.

I subscribe to Scream Magazine, and it was a pleasure to read a review of Into the Pit in the biggest Metal mag in Norway!
You guys should be very proud of it too, this reviewer does not give out to many high scores, so giving it 4 of 6, means that he really likes it!
Well deserved, hopefully it will get you some more Norwegian fans.

Right on. Thanks for translating that Kmorg.

Wow, if that is a glowing review by this reviewer Id hate to see what a bad review is. Regardless, hope it will bring some sales in Europe.

ult

Nice Review,but I disagree with him on one thing.About not being on the level with Exodus or Overkill.I think Into the Pit put them right up there with the big boys.Just my two cents

thrasher73 wrote:

Nice Review,but I disagree with him on one thing.About not being on the level with Exodus or Overkill.I think Into the Pit put them right up there with the big boys.Just my two cents

Thanks thrasher. Several others have said that as well. However, you also have to remember that most new bands will never live up to the bands we hold onto from our youth. Nostalgia is powerful and often makes us remember things in a much better light than they actually are. Therefore for some people we will never live up.

ultmetal wrote:

Nostalgia is powerful and often makes us remember things in a much better light than they actually are. Therefore for some people we will never live up.

I know this isn't the point of your post, ult, but Into The Pit is leaps and bounds up the thrash food chain from an album such as Fabulous Disaster. Some people are just closed minded to stuff. Like me for example, I refuse to eat oysters.


I think a CT Scan is order for me.

spectrefate wrote:

ultmetal wrote:

Nostalgia is powerful and often makes us remember things in a much better light than they actually are. Therefore for some people we will never live up.

I know this isn't the point of your post, ult, but Into The Pit is leaps and bounds up the thrash food chain from an album such as Fabulous Disaster. Some people are just closed minded to stuff. Like me for example, I refuse to eat oysters.


I think a CT Scan is order for me.

Thanks.

ultmetal wrote:

thrasher73 wrote:

Nice Review,but I disagree with him on one thing.About not being on the level with Exodus or Overkill.I think Into the Pit put them right up there with the big boys.Just my two cents

Thanks thrasher. Several others have said that as well. However, you also have to remember that most new bands will never live up to the bands we hold onto from our youth. Nostalgia is powerful and often makes us remember things in a much better light than they actually are. Therefore for some people we will never live up.

Very true Ult!
Personally I think you do live up to their level!!
The more I listen to Into the Pit, the more I like it!!!

Olafsto wrote:

ultmetal wrote:

thrasher73 wrote:

Nice Review,but I disagree with him on one thing.About not being on the level with Exodus or Overkill.I think Into the Pit put them right up there with the big boys.Just my two cents

Thanks thrasher. Several others have said that as well. However, you also have to remember that most new bands will never live up to the bands we hold onto from our youth. Nostalgia is powerful and often makes us remember things in a much better light than they actually are. Therefore for some people we will never live up.

Very true Ult!
Personally I think you do live up to their level!!
The more I listen to Into the Pit, the more I like it!!!

Thanks. I like it a lot too.

A similar review on PowerMetal.dk
http://www.powermetal.dk/reviews07/ultimatum_review.htm


Ultimatum
Into the Pit
80/100

The North American band Ultimatum started in 1992. I must admit that I don't know their earlier records, but I will look for them in the future. The band started with a demo called: "Fatal Delay” in 1993. The first record was completed in 1995 called: 'Symphonic Extremities". In 1998 they released their second album called: "Puppet of Destruction". Their third album: "The Mechanic of Perilous Times" was issued in 2001. The EP "Till the End" came out in 2006. And now there is their new one: "Into the Pit".

The band is a band with Christian lyrics. I hear you thinking, oh no... But I must admit, when you are not so narrow minded, this isn't a problem at all. They do not overdo it like Stryper does. I don't think they will be throwing Bibles into the audience like Stryper.

Ultimatum is: Robert Gutierrez - lead and rhythm guitars, Scott Waters - vocals, Rob Whitlock - 4 & 8 string bass and Alan Tuma - drums. Some drum parts are played by Sean Diego. But the most important thing is what their music is like!

Expect a mixture of speed/trash like bands such as Overkill, Exodus and Vengeance Rising (especially the vocals) played in their earlier days. You can say that the band plays old school thrash. The vocals are a mixture of Udo Dirkschneider and Exodus-like vocals. The numbers are played fast and tight. Although I must say that the songs don't have the quality of Exodus. One song I must mention is the Iron Maiden cover “Wrath Child” - they play that song in their own style, it sounds good, but they don't beat the original.

Final conclusion: a good speed/thrash album worth listening to.

Reviewed by: Reinier de Vries

A good review....glad to see you guys doing well. The album deserves it....

ultmetal wrote:

A similar review on PowerMetal.dk
http://www.powermetal.dk/reviews07/ultimatum_review.htm


Ultimatum
Into the Pit
80/100

The North American band Ultimatum started in 1992. I must admit that I don't know their earlier records, but I will look for them in the future. The band started with a demo called: "Fatal Delay” in 1993. The first record was completed in 1995 called: 'Symphonic Extremities". In 1998 they released their second album called: "Puppet of Destruction". Their third album: "The Mechanic of Perilous Times" was issued in 2001. The EP "Till the End" came out in 2006. And now there is their new one: "Into the Pit".

The band is a band with Christian lyrics. I hear you thinking, oh no... But I must admit, when you are not so narrow minded, this isn't a problem at all. They do not overdo it like Stryper does. I don't think they will be throwing Bibles into the audience like Stryper.

Ultimatum is: Robert Gutierrez - lead and rhythm guitars, Scott Waters - vocals, Rob Whitlock - 4 & 8 string bass and Alan Tuma - drums. Some drum parts are played by Sean Diego. But the most important thing is what their music is like!

Expect a mixture of speed/trash like bands such as Overkill, Exodus and Vengeance Rising (especially the vocals) played in their earlier days. You can say that the band plays old school thrash. The vocals are a mixture of Udo Dirkschneider and Exodus-like vocals. The numbers are played fast and tight. Although I must say that the songs don't have the quality of Exodus. One song I must mention is the Iron Maiden cover “Wrath Child” - they play that song in their own style, it sounds good, but they don't beat the original.

Final conclusion: a good speed/thrash album worth listening to.

Reviewed by: Reinier de Vries

WOW!!! That is a killer review

Yup, not bad.

Not bad??? Be in the Company of Overkill, Exodus and Vengeance Rising Thats killer

fishingd wrote:

Not bad??? Be in the Company of Overkill, Exodus and Vengeance Rising Thats killer

Yes, but this line sort of killed it:

Quote :

Although I must say that the songs don't have the quality of Exodus.

Only about 3 lines out of 12 actually are about the album. lol